How can you tell if you have depression?

sometimes i just feel very sad and lonley even when i'm around people. but then i'm ok. i haven't told my mom or dad because i don't want to mske abig deal about it if i don't need to.

veronica s.
:) or sometimes :(

Depression is the feeling of desperation and helplessness. If you start to feel this way, even doing things that you love to do, you have depression.

The thing about depression is that it is all in your mind. One bad thought leads to another and another until you've fueled it to a rage. You have to break that cycle and start enjoying life more.

Life is too short to be depressed. Don't let things eat away at you, forget it and move on.

if you have any of the following you may have depression and if this is the case arrange to see your doctor and explain this

You feel miserable and sad.
You feel exhausted a lot of the time with no energy .
You feel as if even the smallest tasks are sometimes impossible.
You seldom enjoy the things that you used to enjoy-you may be off sex or food or may 'comfort eat' to excess.
You feel very anxious sometimes.

You don't want to see people or are scared to be left alone. Social activity may feel hard or impossible.

You find it difficult to think clearly.

You feel like a failure and/or feel guilty a lot of the time.

You feel a burden to others.

You sometimes feel that life isn't worth living.

You can see no future. There is a loss of hope. You feel all you've ever done is make mistakes and that's all that you ever will do.
You feel irritable or angry more than usual.

You feel you have no confidence.

You spend a lot of time thinking about what has gone wrong, what will go wrong or what is wrong about yourself as a person. You may also feel guilty sometimes about being critical of others (or even thinking critically about them).
You feel that life is unfair.

You have difficulty sleeping or wake up very early in the morning and can't sleep again. You seem to dream all night long and sometimes have disturbing dreams.

You feel that life has/is 'passing you by.'

You may have physical aches and pains which appear to have no physical cause, such as back pain.

Having actually suffered from depression and come out of it I would say that most of the people here have read about it but don't understand it. If you get worse than you are, I would say medical is a good idea. At this point, I would talk to people that you trust and explain what you are feeling. Try and notice if there are things that set you off into your different moods. I am the same way a lot of the time. My method is to pull my self out of it. If I am sitting I stand up or re energize myself in conversation. If I am alone I listen to music that makes me happy or walk around and sing. Try to find the little things that can bring you back ad be honest with yourself about how you are feeling.

I feel the same way sometimes, but I don't think it's depression, it may be boredom. You should try something new that you've never even thought of doing. Only a doctor can tell you if it's really depression, if your worried you should go see one, you may not even have to let your parents know if it's not serious

Well that is easy depression is a very difficult thing to deal with most of it just deals with self pitty if you focous to much on your problems and not on the good things in life. Ways to tell if you are, are not always easy because depression truly is more than a state of mind, i know that if you spend to much time on a computer or video games a apart of your brain causes depression, but a way to know is if small problems seem bigger. hope i helped

Do you have stress in your life? Or would you say you have a generally good life? Perhaps it's your hormones. Sometimes as we grow our body changes and we have emotional ups and downs? Are you on birth control pills?
Try taking some essential oils, like flax seed oil. There is also a Chinese herb that is awesome called Womans Precious Pills, it helps to balance hormones and had NO side effects. I would try with that. Try to find the root of your unhappiness, meditate, try focusing on what your gratful for, then try an all natural approach before you even consider pharmacuticals. The side effects are horrible....

You're depressed if...
you experience five of these eight symptoms during a 2-week period :
Dramatic change in appetite with associated weight shift when not dieting .
Insomnia or excessive sleep nearly every day.
Sluggishness or agitation nearly every day.
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities which usually bring pleasure, most of the day, nearly every day.
Loss of energy and feelings of fatigue nearly every day.
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive and inappropriate guilt or self-reproach nearly every day.
Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness nearly every day.
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal thoughts.

going through the same thing.........
i sometimes think my friends never want to be with me and it sucks. im still trying to figure out whats up with me. but if u depressed then most likely uve been down for like at least 2 weeks. talk to ur friends, look at old pics, it helps me to get happy. i asked my mom about getting a counselor to talk to or something like that and we havent talked about it since. but thats just kinda my mom. but anyways..... just make a list of why u think u are. talking to someone helps me because then i hear what im thinking and then i think it all sounds dumb to be down about. but ive learned (the hard way and still learning) that u cant control depression unless u have the things u need..... support, a person u trust A LOT, and if its serious, then medication

hope that helped

i have really bad depression. the first person that said depression means that you're cutting yourself isn't true. a lot of people do it for attention, i would know i used to do it. but normally it's when you don't enjoy the stuff you used to, and you get all sad and stuff when nothing is going wrong. ya know? hope this helps!

if you have mood swings for no reason.

if you try to reason with yourself about why yoursad and you find no legitament reason why you are

if you think itd be better to leave this world

it sounds like you might be depressed but it could only be temporary, did somehting happen to you? but if its always been like that then you might wanna go see a thereapist just to check it out.

p.s. i don tknow your age but if youre going htrough puberty, mood swings are totally normal. theyll go away after awhile.

Just go to a doctor, you can never be to safe about stuff like this, depending on how old you are it could just be a side effect of all the change that it going on with you , talk to your parents tho, they are there to make sure your happy and healthy im sure they will understand that your only trying to do the right thing and that your worried that somthing is wrong, good luck :)

i know i hve depression i hve moved 6times im only 12 and im lonely and sad all the time even when im at waterparks and theme parks and wiv my family i just want to say in my room all the time and be alone
but if ur worried u should tell ur mum and dad and go to the doc to get anti depression piles i hvent told my mum or dad theres no point there no point in anything anymore :(

You can do better than Y!A for this information. Try these:

http://www.depression.com/

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/men...

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/fact...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depress...

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/depre...

http://www.psycom.net/depression.central...

Day after day you just don't seem to find pleasure in things you used to enjoy....that is often depression.

If this persists more than a week, tell your parents and ask for help.

My daughter went to counseling for depression when she was in high school. She's 25 now and is doing fine.

well you are depressed if your sad and nobody wants to be friends with you.also if someone dies in your family you get depressed.when your bf or gf breaks up with you.you cry and you feel suicidal.and its like the world is falling apart.

your not depressed. to be depressed you have to have trouble sleeping, a dislike in activities you used to love, loss or gain in apetite, and you have to be withdrawn from family and friends.

if anything you sound bipolar.

i don't think you are depressed yet i just think you are sad for some reason maybe go see a counselor, it would have to be more serious in order to be depressed

It's probably not depression, but I would research still. When you are depressed you are depressed always, not just sometimes. You could just be grieving.

Maybe just mood swings as I take it you are young? As you go through puberty you can get mood swings and stuff like that.

thats a sign you can treat it by just walking , spending sometime in the sunshine everyday. develop a n attitude of gratitude

well.......i dont think ur depressed.
if u were u wouldn't go any where
do anything u'd just stay up in ur room & be sad
depressed ppl r normally depressed b/c of a tragic happening
in their life

good luck!

If you think your depressed, you should take this little test, it will help you decide:
www.depression-screening.org
Good luck!

If you were depressed your icon would not be a happy face.

Google "Depression." dont think youre there yet.

when you get very sad and feel like suicide x}

go see a doctor.

It depends on your age

cutting yourself